Category Archives: Politics and Giving

A recent article posted in the Huffington Post pointed out the ease of which a foreign national could circumvent the U.S. election laws regarding the use of money to support or defame a candidate. The use of foreign money in U.S. elections is strictly forbidden, but that did not stop, according to activist investigators, Russia from using upwards of $100,000 to buy more than 3,000 political ads as well as employing hundreds of social media bots to heavily influence the 2016 presidential race in favor of Donald Trump. The extent of the alleged meddling is not yet known, nor is it known the overall effect both short term and long term that it had on the American political landscape or the democratic process of the United States in general.

It is this type of supposed election manipulation and government misconduct that End Citizens United is dedicated to preventing. ECU is a Political Action Committee, which stands by the idea that every person in the country has a right to an equal voice in how the country is governed. ECU believes that true democracy is based on one person, one vote, and that the size of a person’s bank account or the level of influence they have should not allow them to have more of a say than any other person. The group is dedicated to a wide range of causes which support the idea that under the American way of life, all citizens should be able to have confidence in their democratic process. As such ECU is committed to concepts such as campaign finance reform, sensible and common sense gun control law reform, campaign transparency, increased election security and oversight, and the reversal of the broad-ranging power that ultra-conservative right-wing politicians have been able to wield in Washington thanks to the efforts of Citizens United.

In the 2016 presidential election ECU believes that the power of the American vote was diluted by activities which were allowed to exist because of groups such as citizens united. The unfair practices that were used must be stopped before the upcoming 2020 election, and ECU is committed to making sure that they are. ECU hopes to not only educate Americans about the manipulation that took place by Russia and the influence that illegal Russian money had on the 2016 presidential race, but to also get behind candidates that will be vying for important seats in Congress and the Senate in the 2018 midterm elections who are committed to bringing an end to such activities in the future and restoring to the American people the power of their voice and their vote.

End Citizens United is outraged by the discoveries of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, as should all Americans be. The ability for a billionaire to use his business and social connections to gain the favor of a foreign government who was able to use loopholes, backdoors, and underhanded tricks to cheat the American people out of their right to a fair and impartial election is unforgivable. End Citizens United is committed to taking action and helping to ensure that such injustice never happens again.

A few days ago, End Citizen United announced its move to support Doug Jones, a Democratic nominee running for Alabama special election, for U.S. Senate. Jones is facing stiff competition from Roy Moore, who is greatly disliked by ECU because he is an extremist with not only racist but also bigoted agenda. According to Tiffany Muller, ECU’s president, Roy’s radical agenda and extreme ideology should not be allowed in the US Senate because they are against the values of Alabama and America at large. Jones, on the other hand, is a US lawyer with admirable qualities as evidenced in the things he stands for. Jones also embraces the values of ECU since he is dedicated to unrigging the system by removing big money from politics.

End Citizens United is a PAC (Political Action Committee) that was established on March 1, 2015. The PAC is based in Washington DC, and gets its funding from grassroots donors. End Citizens is dedicated to reforming the campaign finance system, and their primary goal is to fix the rigged political system and end the dark money game in politics. To date, more than three hundred and twenty five individuals have signed the petition of End Citizens United that demands the Congress to pass such law. Also, the group aims at electing campaign-finance reform champions to the U.S Congress. Currently, David Bossie holds the President and Chairman title at the group.

End Citizens United raised some 4 million dollars via their fundraising platform. The group has received 136,000 donations so far from various grassroots supporters with an average donation of $14.86. The PAC is a people’s platform that aims at uniting moderates, progressives and anyone possessing a political backbone who wants to be involved with the way the government and country are run.

A majority of End Citizens United supporters happen to fall on the liberal side, but that hasn’t deterred the group from reaching out across the aisle in a bid to bridge that gap. In fact, the election of President Donald Trump to the White House has led to the rise of new levels of political action and engagement. People who were formerly apathetic are no longer comfortable being sidelined and watching their country worsen as their voices are lost due to their lack of money.

George Mason University (GMU) is reputed as a conservative powerhouse in law and economics. This reputation has been brought about by the donations made by Charles Koch. Through his foundation, the Republican donates more than $20 million to various universities in the United States per year. However, the size of donations has been a cause of worry for many students, as they believe that it may affect academic independence.

Another Republican, Phil Knight, donated $400 million to Stanford University. Over the years, Koch and his brother have donated millions of dollars to different universities. In 2014, GMU received donations worth $16.8 million from Koch foundation. According to the Council for Aid in Education, GMU received $44.6 million in donations for the year ending 2013. In the recent past, Mason received a gift of $10 million from Koch Foundation in addition to $20 million from an unnamed donor.

The law school has been channeling most of the money to Mercatus Center. This center is a free-market think tank that undertakes research in order to educate the congressional staffers and federal regulators on issues that can influence government’s policies. Koch funds have also been going to the Institute for Humane Studies (IHS). This institute promotes libertarian philosophies. It is imperative to note that Koch industries’ executive vice president, Richard Fink, serves on Mercatus and IHS boards. It is for this reason that GMU and Kochs have longstanding connections.

Irrespective of criticisms from different quotas, some people believe that Koch is filling a funding gap. Some Democrats have not been comfortable with the donations but democratic senator, Chap Petersen, has no problem with the funding of GMU by the Kochs. Some students such as Colin Nackerman and Samantha Parsons have been spearheading campaigns demanding for an explanation from GMU about its relationship with Koch. This information was originally reported on Yahoo Finance.

Charles Koch is a successful businessman. He was born in Wichita, Kansas. The philanthropist pursued a degree in general engineering for his undergraduate studies. Later, he pursued nuclear and chemical engineering for his master’s degrees from the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He worked at the Arthur D. Little, Koch Engineering Company and currently, Koch Industries.

Koch enhanced the Market-Based Management (MBM) philosophy. Koch managed to apply MBM concepts and practices throughout Koch Industries, thus the success of the corporation. Besides, scholars, government officials and various business leaders have been applying the MBM theories in their respective entities. Currently, Charles Koch is the CEO of Koch Industries and chairman of the board. The company has diversified its portfolio and expanded its operations to about 60 countries.